


Good Things Come

by ElectricityLingerss



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Avengers Family, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Injury, M/M, Sad Tony, Self-Esteem Issues, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 12:35:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricityLingerss/pseuds/ElectricityLingerss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'So, that Christmas was one of the worst. Tony would always remember the worry and stress of being stuck in that waiting room. But he ended up getting the best gift ever. Even if it was a few days late.'</p><p>5 times Tony had a shit Christmas, and 1 time he didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Things Come

**Author's Note:**

  * For [syriala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/syriala/gifts).



**1.**

The first Christmas Tony could remember, was when he was four years old. It was the first year that he really understood what it was all about, and Jarvis had been getting him excited about it throughout the whole of December; taking him out to build snowmen and snow angels, sneaking him lots of Christmas food, and helping him to make the best holiday cards for his parents. 

He spent hours painstakingly drawing on and decorating the cards, showing them to Jarvis proudly when he had finished. His father’s was covered in tiny Captain America shields with Santa hats perched on top – because his Daddy really liked Captain America – interspersed with little sprigs of holly and reindeer. He even drew a picture inside of him and his Daddy together, working on something in his lab. Tony wasn’t actually allowed to go into his Daddy’s lab, but he hoped with all his might that if he saw the picture he drew of them, Daddy might finally let him help build something. 

The one for his Mommy had a big drawing of a Christmas tree on the front, covered in sparkly tinsel and baubles and with lots of multi-coloured gifts underneath. He had also drawn Mommy, Daddy, him and Jarvis all sat close together with big smiles on their faces. 

“They look wonderful, Anthony. I’m sure they’ll love them.” Jarvis told him with a gentle smile on his face.

Tony just gave him a big toothy grin and dashed off to hide the cards in his bedroom so his parents wouldn’t see them before it was time. 

By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, Tony was buzzing with excitement. He was going to have the perfect Christmas, just like Jarvis had told him about. His Mommy and Daddy went away the night before to a special party they had to go to, but they would be back any minute – his Mommy had told him so. His Daddy hadn’t said goodbye, but that was ok. Tony knew how busy and important his Daddy was. 

He was sitting next to the tree, gazing at the flash of the fairy lights when he heard Jarvis’s raised voice coming from the hallway. He knew he wasn’t supposed to eavesdrop, but Jarvis _never_ yelled. He crept to the door and poked his head around, seeing Jarvis standing rigidly next to the stairs with the phone pressed to his ear. 

“Are you quite sure it’s impossible,” Jarvis said tersely into the phone. His brow furrowed as he listened to the reply. “Sir, Master Anthony will be horribly disappointed…. Yes, I understand, it is just that he has gone to a lot of trouble… No, of course not.” Jarvis’ voice was like iron, his eyes just as hard, and Tony could feel his heart sinking with every word he heard. “If you’re certain… Oh, do not worry, I’ll make sure of that.” Jarvis slammed the phone back into its cradle and spat something under his breath that Tony couldn’t hear. 

Jarvis took a steadying breath and turned around, stopping dead when he saw Tony loitering by the door. He shook himself and walked over to Tony, leading him back into the living room and onto the sofa. Tony could see the sparkle of the fairy lights from the tree reflected in Jarvis’ sad eyes. 

“Anthony, I’m very sorry, but it seems as though your parents won’t be able to come back in time for Christmas.” Jarvis said it gently, but his eyes were full of banked rage. Tony said nothing, but could feel his lower lip starting to tremble. 

“B-But… It’s Christmas. T-They _have_ to b-be here.”

“They… They tried their best, but I’m afraid it will just be you, Ana and me this year. 

The tears brimmed over and started to spill down Tony’s cheeks, but he tried to smile through them. He loved Jarvis and Ana, but he had really wanted to share Christmas with his parents. He didn’t really see them all that often. 

Later, when Jarvis put him to bed, he kissed him on the forehead, as he did every night, and wished him a merry Christmas. He told Tony that they would still have a wonderful day tomorrow, and that his Mommy and Daddy would be very excited to see him when they got back. Tony nodded, but could only muster a half-hearted smile. 

After Jarvis had gone out, Tony lay in bed and turned his head to look at the drawer in which he had hidden the cards for his parents. He sniffed loudly and turned his back, burrowing into his comforter as tears soaked his pillow. It was the first time Tony truly felt the horrible sting of disappointment. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last. 

 

**2.**

The Christmas his parents died was bad for a lot of reasons, but Tony couldn’t remember most of them. He spent almost the entire holiday period blackout drunk and locked up in his workshop at the mansion. He hated that place, and everything it stood for, but nobody would question him being there. Being ‘home’ so soon after his parents had died. And he needed the privacy. 

What got to him most was that he didn’t really feel… anything. When he got the news of his parents’ death, he didn’t feel sad or lost, he just felt numb. It was that emptiness that drove him to drink. 

It was Christmas day and his phone had been ringing so often that he had finally taken a hammer to it to shut the damn thing up. It was now residing in a thousand pieces on his workshop floor. Tony was just proud he had managed to hit the fucker without braining himself with the hammer in his inebriated state. 

He was well on his way to being drunk, reclining on the couch, when he heard a very loud and annoying banging. 

“Dum-E shut up,” he slurred. “I’ll play with you later.”

The banging just kept on until he heard a splintering sound. He struggled to lift his head and looked towards the door, seeing an enraged looking Rhodey standing there, breathing like he’s just run a marathon. Huh. Not Dum-E then. 

“Sorry, Dum-E,” he said, with a little flail towards the bot. Dum-E just beeped back sadly. 

“What the hell, Tones?” Rhodey yelled as he stormed into the room. “Are you drunk?”

“’Course I’m drunk. I’m always drunk, haven’t you heard?” Tony replied bitterly, his eyes slipping shut. 

“You scared the hell out of me, you fucker. You can’t pick up your damn phone?”

“Nope. Not anymore anyway.”

“What?” Tony waved a haphazard hand in the direction of the disintegrated phone. “Uh, wow. Is there… a reason you went postal on your phone?”

“…It wouldn’t shut up.”

“You know, what you’d typically do in that situation is pick the damn thing up. That usually stops the annoying noise coming out of it.”

“Didn’t want to talk to anyone,” Tony said with a significant look at his intruder. 

Rhodey sighed. “Look, Tones… I know how shit you’re feeling right now, but please don’t just cut yourself off. You scared me out of a decade of my life when you didn’t pick up.” He made his way towards the couch, being careful to hop around the remains of the phone, and sank down on the sofa next to where Tony was laid out. 

“My parents are dead, Rhodey. They’re gone and they’re never coming back. And you know what I feel? Not a single thing.”

Rhodey just continued to look at him in concern. 

“I haven’t even shed a tear. Do you realise how fucked up that makes me?”

“You’re not fucked up, Tones.”

“A lot of people would beg to differ.”

“I don’t care, they’d all be wrong.”

“Howard always used to say Stark men didn’t cry,” Tony said quietly. “Maybe this means I’m finally a real Stark; he’s finally beaten all the emotion out of me, and dear old Dad isn’t even here to see it.” 

“That’s bullshit. You are not some kind of robot.”

“Huh, maybe that would have been easier. If Howard had just built himself a son in his lab; one he could programme and control. Then he wouldn’t have had such a disappointment.” Tony reached blindly down the side of the couch, searching for his bottle of Bourbon, but Rhodey grabbed it before he could get there. Tony pouted at him and tried to snatch it back, but ended up overbalancing and falling in a sprawl onto Rhodey’s lap. “Fuck,” Tony mumbled, his face squished into one of Rhodey’s thighs. 

“You’re a mess,” Rhodey observed, although he didn’t shove him off.

Tony rearranged himself to get more comfortable, but stayed cuddled up to his friend. “Yep.”

“You are not a disappointment, you’re a damn genius.”

“Never good enough.”

“Bullshit.”

“’S true.”

“No it isn’t. And if your Dad ever made you feel like you were, then he was a pretty shitty parent.”

Tony snorted. “Don’t have to tell me.” He rolled his head to look up at Rhodey. “Jarvis… Jarvis was the only one who cared. Well, him and Ana.” His eyes started to sting at the memory of the man. “When I found out he had died, I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. And I can’t feel anything for my own flesh and blood?” 

Tony felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder. “Blood doesn’t mean anything.”

“It should.”

“Maybe so. But you’re not alone. There are still people who care about you. And you’ll always have me.”

Tony smiled weakly. When he thought about his parents now, he wasn’t even really sure he ever knew them. He was sad for the woman his mother should have been – who she used to be, before Howard drove her nearly mad. He still had some memories from when he was very young, of his mother showing him how to play the piano, and singling to him in Italian. But she hadn’t been that woman for years before she died. 

He had no such memories of his father. Not once did he tell him he loved him, or he was proud of him. It seems like he viewed Tony more as one of his inventions than a person, than his _child._

“I tried so hard,” Tony said thickly, “So hard to be enough. Even after all the shit he did, I still wanted him to be proud of me.”

“I think he was. In his own way. But Tones, you don’t need to prove yourself to someone like him. He wasn’t worthy of it. I know he was your Dad, but…”

Tony just shook his head and stared up at the ceiling. 

_Merry fucking Christmas,_ he thought tiredly. 

 

**3.**

The Christmas that Pepper left him, hit with the force of a torpedo. 

Tony locked himself in the workshop of the tower for three weeks straight, existing only on coffee, Dum-E’s smoothies and energy bars. Oh, and the hidden liquor cabinet built into the floor. 

About a week after Christmas, he was wandering around the workshop aimlessly with a hangover from hell, as well as nursing a particularly nasty burn on his hand courtesy of a stray soldering iron, when the glass wall to his workshop suddenly shattered and tumbled to the floor. He spun around in shock and did an honest to God, double take when he saw Steve Rogers – Captain America – stood in the now wall-less opening. He had a sudden feeling of déjà vu and his vision flickered for a second, seeing Rhodey stood in Steve’s place. 

“Um…” 

“Is the famous Tony Stark actually speechless?” Steve said with a small smile. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Tony scowled. 

Steve shrugged his huge shoulders. “Pepper sent me. She was getting a bit concerned.”

“So she called _you?_ ”

“Actually I dropped by to visit but couldn’t get hold of you. Pepper told me why.” Steve looked at him with understanding in his eyes.

“I don’t need your pity, Rogers,” Tony growled.

Steve held up his hands. “It’s not pity, it’s empathy.”

Tony closed his eyes wearily. “What are you doing here, Steve?”

“I just wanted to see how you were. I know we haven’t talked much since New York, but I still consider you a friend.” Steve looked down at his shoes. “And I don’t have a whole lot of those nowadays.”

Tony sighed. “What do you want me to say? I’m not… good right now. I always knew she’d leave, but turns out the reality of it is hitting me a little harder than I anticipated.” 

Every time he thought of Pepper, it felt like he was breathing glass – like he was being torn apart from the inside. God, he was incapable of doing anything right. He’d hurt Pepper, even though he had sworn not to. He didn’t blame her in the least for dumping his sorry ass, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. As he looked into Steve’s wide blue eyes, he felt himself start to lose it again. 

“Shit,” he gasped as breathing became near impossible. He stumbled back until he hit a wall and slid down onto his ass, hiding his face in his knees. 

He shied away when he first felt the hand on his shoulder, but Steve was insistent, and he ended up propped against Steve’s solid warmth as he tried desperately to stop hyperventilating. Unfortunately he was failing miserably. 

“Hey, it’s ok. You’re ok. Time you’re breathing with mine,” Steve murmured softly. He hooked one arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled him tight against his side, letting Tony feel his strong, even breaths. It took a few minutes, but eventually he had his breath back and shame flooded him. God, could he look any more of a mess? And _Captain America_ had to be the one to witness it? 

Tony slumped back against the wall. “You’re not catching me at my best moment. God that was mortifying.”

“Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone, Tony.”

“Not to me. Howard’s probably turning in his grave right now.”

“What?” Steve looked confused. “What do you mean?” 

“Stark’s don’t show weakness.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Steve said forcefully. “What the hell happened to him?” Steve continued, almost to himself. 

“He got a failure for a son.” Tony said matter-of-factly. 

“ _What?_ ”

Tony shrugged. “I mean, that’s probably just a contributing factor, but…” Tony shrugged. “Didn’t help.”

“In what _universe_ can _you_ be considered a failure?”

Tony smiled at him and rubbed his hands down his face tiredly. “Don’t ask me what went on in his head. I really don’t want to know. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.”

Steve smiled in return, but it looked a little forced. They sat silently for a while before Steve spoke. 

“I’m real sorry about Pepper, Tony.”

“Yeah. Me too.” 

“I know the pain doesn’t just go away overnight.” He paused and made eye contact. “Believe me, but it can’t be doing you any good to be isolated down here. At least let me take you out for lunch or something. From what Pepper said, it sounds like you could do with some real food.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that Dum-E’s smoothies are legendary. Both nutritious and delicious.”

“Right,” Steve said doubtfully, eyeing a half-empty glass of green sludge. 

“I’m not very good company right now.”

“I figure Tony stark on a bad day is more interesting than most people on their best.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Tony said airily, but he was oddly touched by the effort Steve was making with him.

Steve rolled his eyes. “It’s not flattery if it’s true.”

“Hmm… I guess I could stand to get some fresh air.”

“Great. A shower might be in order as well,” Steve said with a sniff.

“Rude. Are you saying I smell? I do have a shower down here you know. And I use it. Sometimes.”

“I would never say that,” Steve replied innocently. “But by the look of you, that shower should have been seeing a lot more action that you’ve been giving it.”

“You’re out of line, Rogers. I smell as fresh as a daisy no matter how long I take between bathing. It’s in the genes, you know.”

Steve laughed. “Of course, how wrong of me to suggest otherwise.” 

“Better.”

Steve bounced up and held out a hand to Tony to pull him to his feet. As Tony ascended the stairs and back into the real world, he couldn’t help but notice that Steve had made him feel better than he had in a very long time. 

 

**4.**

Tony wrung his hands as he paced up and down the hospital waiting room. Steve had been in surgery for six hours, and not a single person had been out to tell him or anyone else any news. Natasha Romanov was sitting placidly on one of the hard plastic chairs, looking relaxed as ever. Tony was still wary of her after the neck-stabbing incident, even though years had passed since then. 

There was also a guy he’d never met – who’d introduced himself as Sam Wilson – sitting next to Natasha. He was far less contained; his left leg was bouncing uncontrollably and he kept jerking his head up hopefully every time someone entered the room. He had been disappointed 241 times so far. 

Tony didn’t know what to think. He had been angry enough when Steve had decided to almost single-handedly take on the entirety of fucking _SHIELD_ and not bother to call him. But going after the Winter Soldier without telling your best friend? Who did that? He was going to tear Steve a new asshole when he finally came out of surgery. _If_ he came out. No. He wouldn’t think like that. He’d make it. He had to. 

On his next pass, Natasha snagged his arm and yanked him down into the chair next to her. 

“I’m carrying knives, Stark,” She hissed. “If you don’t sit still you’ll become very closely acquainted with them.”

Tony huffed at her but sank into the chair. It was already hurting his back. He looked down at the floor in order to avoid the assault of migraine inducing holiday decorations adorning the walls. They seemed so out of place in a room like that. 

“Just stay the fuck away from my neck,” he grumbled at her in return.

“How long are you going to harp on about that?”

“You stabbed me in the neck! That isn’t something you get over in a day!”

“It’s been three years, Stark.”

“You stabbed _Tony Stark_ in the neck?” Sam squeaked.

“Honestly, not you as well. He felt a lot better after I did it.”

Sam was starting to look mildly alarmed. 

“Not the point!” Tony exclaimed. 

Natasha opened her mouth, but shut it with a snap when a woman in scrubs came around the corner, heading straight for them. 

“You’re here with Steve Rogers?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, is he ok?” Tony replied. 

“I’m Dr Hilton and I’ll be in charge of his care while he’s here. We’ve done all we can for him, but we feel confidant that it will be enough. His healing capabilities should more than take care of it from here, but he needs to rest and let his body do what it needs to do.”

“We’ll make sure of that.” 

“Good. He’s in room 376 if you’d like to see him. I’ll be around to check on him shortly when the anaesthetic had worn off enough for him to be able to answer some questions.” She smiled at them and continued down the hall. 

Natasha looked at Tony’s anxious face and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Sam’s arm and led him down the corridor, calling back to Tony, “You go on and see him, we’ll get some coffee and meet you up there.”

Tony didn’t waste any time, finding the room easily, but paused with his hand on the doorknob. What if it was worse than the Docs thought? What if he’s got memory loss? What if…? Tony silently berated himself and pushed his way into the room, going straight up to the side of Steve’s bed. 

Tony sucked in a startled breath when he finally got a good look at him. He looked horrible. He had a split lip, swelling around both of his eyes, a wicked looking gash running from above his left ear to his chin. And that was just on his face. Tony dreaded to think what the rest of his body looked like. 

“Oh my God, Steve,” Tony whispered. 

“Tony?” Steve mumbled.

“Yeah, it’s me. You’re in big trouble, Rogers.”

“Sorry.” 

“You’d better be. I’m pretty sure we had a conversation about your reckless tendencies – a very long and uncomfortable conversation. I don’t appreciate you making me repeat myself.”

“My bad. Wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.” Steve winced as his split lip and torn cheek were agitated. 

Tony reached over and picked up one of Steve’s hands, grasping it in both of his. “Why didn’t you call?” Tony asked brokenly.

“Wasn’t your problem. I know you know it was him who was responsible for your parents’ deaths. I couldn’t ask you help me with this. But… I couldn’t just leave him.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Tony insisted. “I still would have helped you. I’d do anything for you, Steve. I thought you knew that.” 

“Wouldn’t make you do it,” Steve said stubbornly. 

Tony huffed in frustration. “Couldn’t you have at least called Thor or Bruce or someone? Or Legolas? I’m sure he would have loved the excitement.”

Steve smiled slightly. “I had Sam and Nat.”

“Until you ran off on your own and left them.”

“Until I ran off on my own and left them,” Steve agreed. “I didn’t want to spook him.”

“Yeah? And how’d that go for you?”

“Could’a been better I guess.” 

Tony squeezed Steve’s hand. “And after all the shit you gave me about the Mandarin,” he teased.

Steve gave him a half-hearted glare. “The Mandarin was a terrorist. Or Killian was. Bucky is… confused.”

Tony just snorted inelegantly but didn’t argue. “Terrified out of my mind isn’t how I planned on spending my Christmas this year, Steve.”

“Sorry. It wasn’t quite what I had in mind either.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah…” Steve seemed to steady himself before continuing. “Hey Tony?”

“Yeah, Steve?”

“Would you maybe like to go out sometime?”

Tony froze. The thumb that was rubbing circles into the skin of Steve’s hand stopped suddenly as he stared in surprise. 

“Go out as in…”

“On a date. With me.” A blush stained Steve’s cheeks underneath all the swelling. 

Tony suddenly felt light-headed. He _definitely_ wasn’t used to having everything he wanted suddenly fall into his lap.

“You… You want to date me? _Me?_ ”

Steve gave him a soft look. “Yeah Tony. I’d like that a lot.” 

“Holy fuck.”

Steve giggled. Fucking _giggled_. “Does that mean ‘yes’?”

“ _Yes_. Of fucking course it means ‘yes’! Who in their right mind would turn down Steve Rogers?”

A shyly pleased look slid onto Steve’s face as he squeezed Tony’s hand. He pulled him closer. “Kiss me?” 

Tony’s heart went into overdrive as he leaned close to Steve, but he stopped short of making contact. “Where?” he asked with a little laugh. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t care. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for months.” 

Tony’s eyes locked with Steve’s and he felt something clicking into place. Right at that moment, with his nose brushing against Steve’s, feeling his warm breath ghosting against his skin, he felt like he was finally doing something right. This was it. What he had been waiting for his whole life. 

Tony leaned in and placed a feather light kiss onto Steve’s top lip, feeling warmth seeping into his body. He kissed the corner of Steve’s mouth, then the corner of his eye and the jut of his cheekbone before drawing back and looking back into Steve’s gorgeous clear blue eyes. He couldn’t help the lovesick grin from sliding onto his face, but at least it was mirrored on Steve’s as well. 

He was just about to dive in for more, when a throat clearing from the door had him jerking upright. He turned to see the amused and shocked stares of Natasha and Sam. 

“Good to see you awake, Steve,” Natasha said, stepping forward to place a light kiss on Steve’s brow.

Tony looked back at Sam, but he seemed to be frozen in shock. 

“It’s rude to loiter in doorways,” Natasha told him with a smirk. 

That jolted Sam forward, and he pointed an accusing finger towards Steve. “You’re boning _Tony Stark_ and you didn’t tell me?” he almost shrieked. 

Tony tried to smother a laugh, but judging by the look Steve was shooting him, he was rather unsuccessful. 

“Actually, there’s been no boning,” Tony told Sam as Steve choked on his own spit behind him. He smiled slyly before continuing, “Yet.” 

“Oh God, Tony,” Steve muttered as his blush intensified. 

“What?” he said innocently. 

“Tony’s an oversharer,” Natasha told Sam. “You’ll get used to it.” 

“I’m not sure I want to.”

“Don’t think you have a choice.” 

“Don’t worry,” Tony said. “You’ll learn to love me.”

So, that Christmas was one of the worst. Tony would always remember the worry and stress of being stuck in that waiting room. But he ended up getting the best gift ever. Even if it was a few days late. 

 

**5.**

“ _Steve!_ You _bastard_. Get back here right now.” Tony yelled at his boyfriend while dancing around and trying desperately to dislodge the handful of snow Steve have just deposited down the back of his shirt. He heard Steve laughing gleefully behind him and turned to glare at him. “That’s it, no sex for a week.”

Steve laughed even harder. “Come on now. You know you’ll never be able to stick to that.”

Tony opened his mouth to tell him to shove it, but then closed it. Damn him, he was right. “Whatever.” 

Steve stepped up close to him and kissed the pout off of Tony’s lips, only drawing back when oxygen became necessary. However, as soon as he did, Steve was pelted on the back of the head by a snowball. 

“Nobody want’s to see that, Stevie!” Bucky yelled at him from behind one of the snow forts they had built. 

“Can it, Buck!” Steve called back, diving back in to kiss Tony again. They both ignored Bucky’s whine of protest. 

They were on the roof of the tower and currently engaged in the most epic snowball fight in history. Clint had got so excited that he had accidently launched himself of the side of the roof. Luckily Thor was there to catch him before he hit the ground. 

Tony was just getting into the kiss, when Steve slipped his freezing cold hands underneath Tony’s shirt, to settle on the warm skin of his back. Tony yelped and Shoved Steve away, giving chase when he ran in the direction of the snow fort. Tony scooped up some snow and chased his boyfriend all over the roof, laughing the entire way. He only slowed when breathing started to become a problem. The combination of the running, laughing and the frigid air was taking its toll on his already diminished lung capacity. 

He stopped to lean against the railing and catch his breath, and heard Steve jeering playfully at him from a few feet away. “Getting a little out of breath there, old man? Am I working you too hard?” Steve teased. 

Tony glared at him and replied between large gulps of air. “You’re… way older… than I am. And this tends to… happen… when you have… a huge chunk of metal… shoved into your… chest.”

Steve looked mildly confused by this, and opened his mouth to say something before the sound of a helicopter cut through the air. Tony looked up and his stomach sank when he saw the AIM symbol stamped on the side of it. The next second, the roof was swarming with AIM agents. Tony fought just as well as any of the others, Steve having insisted on improving Tony’s hand-to-hand skills. So he knew what he was doing, but with each breath he took, he could feel his lungs starting to fail to absorb enough oxygen. Every time he dodged and weaved, he went to suck in a breath and nothing happened. 

The final nail in the coffin was when an agent managed to land a lucky strike right on the side of the reactor, jolting it in his chest. Tony heard a sickening crunching sound and pain exploded through him. He tried to scream, but he was too breathless to make much sound at all. He sunk to his knees, as blackness licked at the edges of his vision. Luckily, the agent in front of him collapsed forward with a grunt of pain, an arrow protruding from his back. 

The last thing Tony registered before darkness claimed him was Clint’s bow clattering to the ground in front of his face and someone yelling his name.

•••

Tony woke slowly. His head felt like it was full of marshmallow fluff and he could feel a constant dull ache in his chest. He could also feel something on his face and started to freak out before he opened his eyes and saw that it was an oxygen mask.

He sighed in relief and looked to his side as movement caught his eye. He turned his head and saw that he was in the corner of Bruce’s lab that doubled as the tower’s med-bay. Steve was asleep in one of the chairs by Tony’s bed, but he was restless and had an uncharacteristic frown on his face. 

“Steve?” Tony croaked from underneath his mask. He had a feeling it would be a bad idea to remove it just yet. 

Steve bolted upright and leaned forward, immediately taking one of Tony’s hands and bringing it up to his mouth to kiss. “Hey, baby.”

Tony smiled slightly. “What happened?”

Steve inhaled shakily. “Bruce says that one of the AIM agents hit the reactor at a really lucky angle. It forced the reactor to the side and snapped one of your ribs, which then punctured your lung.”

“Fuck.” No wonder he was feeling sore. 

“Bruce also said you were close to passing out anyway because of your lung capacity?” Steve asked it as a question, obviously not understanding the details. 

“Yeah.” Tony cleared his throat nervously, hating how thin his voice was. “The uh, the reactor is a little more invasive than it says on the files SHIELD has on me.”

Steve looked ashen. “Bruce… he showed me some x-rays. It’s…” Tony heart twisted at the confusion and – _fuck_ – hurt in Steve’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I’m sorry. It’s not something I think about. It normally isn’t a problem, and you know how I get weird about people knowing…”

“ _People_ yes. But _me?_ ”

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered miserably. “It’s not that I don’t trust you with it. I trust you with everything. And I was going to tell you. I promise.”

Steve searched his eyes before nodding and placing another kiss on Tony’s hand. 

“So. I think we had a conversation about not spending Christmas in hospital,” Steve said with one eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah, yeah. At least I wasn’t out running after deadly assassins all on my lonesome.” 

“I wasn’t on my _own_ \--“

“What about when you ran off on your own and left your only back-up?”

“… Except then.”

Tony smiled at him and stroked one finger along Steve’s cheek from where Steve still held his hand against his lips. 

“I love you,” Tony said, the words carrying an odd weight even though he had said them to Steve hundreds of times before. 

“I love you too, Tony. More than anything. When I saw you go down today…” He trailed off and swallowed hard. 

“Yeah, let’s not do that again. Are the rest of the team ok?”

“Everyone’s fine. All waiting to see you.” Steve’s eyes went soft as he looked at Tony adoringly. “Clint’s already gloating about saving your life.”

“Ugh, he’s going to be insufferable. But I guess I do him some new arrows…”

“I owe him a lot more than that.”

“Sap.”

“Only for you, baby.”

 

**+1**

Waking up feeling completely safe and peaceful, was one of the best feelings Tony had ever experienced. He no longer spent as little time sleeping as possible in order to shut himself in the workshop all day and night. He had learned to appreciate those little moments of bliss that now permeated his life. 

It was Christmas morning and he woke wrapped up in Steve’s arms, just like he did every morning. He sighed in contentment and opened his eyes, only to be greeted by Steve already awake and smiling at him. 

“Merry Christmas,” Steve murmured before kissing him sweetly. 

“Mmmm, Merry Christmas to you too.”

Tony shifted around so that he was straddling Steve, and rotated his hips, grinding down onto Steve’s very… firm lap. “Someone’s excited,” Tony teased.

“It’s what you do to me.”

Tony’s eyes darkened and he slid his hand up Steve’s thigh – underneath the leg of his boxers – just his fingertips brushing against Steve’s cock. Steve jerked and moaned quietly, diving back in to kiss Tony once more. Tony felt Steve’s hands skating down his ribs and settling on his ass to squeeze gently. 

Tony suddenly found himself on his back – got to love supersoldier strength – and started to shimmy out of his boxer briefs, kicking them off the bottom of the bed just as an equally naked Steve settled on top of him. Steve took his hands and pinned them to the bed on either side of his head, threading their fingers together as he lowered his head and dropped biting kisses all up the side of Tony’s neck, making Tony shiver and moan in appreciation. 

“Are you marking me again, honey?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Steve replied in a rough voice. 

“You like the fact that all anyone has to do is look at me and they know that I belong to you?”

“You know I do.”

“Get back up here,” Tony demanded, still unable to move his arms. Steve levered himself up and met Tony’s lips in a deep, wet kiss. “You going to fuck me, baby?” Tony asked breathlessly when they parted for air. 

“I was thinking about it,” Steve said and ducked his head to circle his tongue around one of Tony’s nipples, only letting up when it was red and swollen. He started kissing his way down Tony’s abdomen. 

“Any time you’re ready,” Tony gasped. A bolt of lust raced through him as Steve rubbed his morning stubble against the soft skin of Tony’s hips. Tony had always loved the feel of beard burn on his skin – a stinging reminder that kept memories rushing back for hours afterwards. 

“Inpatient? I was thinking about taking my time.”

“Tease,” Tony managed to choke out as Steve started to suck a love bite on the inside of his thigh. 

“You love it.”

“I love _you_.”

Steve raised his eyes and snared Tony with a smouldering gaze. “Good answer.”

With that, Steve moved back and swallowed Tony’s cock to the root. Tony threw his head back and moaned loudly as his whole world went white with pleasure.

•••

When Tony and Steve finally made it out of their bedroom that morning, all of the other avengers had already gathered around the huge tree in the communal living room. They catcalled good-naturedly and complained about wanting their damn presents already, so they settled onto the floor straight away to start on the gifts. Steve was sat with his back against the sofa with Tony leaning against his chest, wrapped securely in his supersoldier’s arms as they watched.

The avengers descended on the tree in a flurry of torn wrapping paper and excited squeals. It was all over just as fast as ever, none of them having the patience to take their time. Tony was just about to get up and go in search of food, when Bucky’s voice sounded from behind the tree. 

“Wait, there’s one more!” Bucky emerged with a sly look on his face and handed a small box to Tony, immaculately wrapped in sky blue paper covered in tiny Captain America shields. 

“That one’s from me,” Steve murmured in Tony’s ear. 

“Another one? I’m feeling a little spoilt this year,” Tony said with a smile as he took the tiny gift from Bucky. 

“You’re worth it,” Steve said into Tony’s hair. He places a soft kiss on Tony’s temple as he began carefully peeling back the paper. 

Tony’s heart skipped a beat when the paper parted to reveal a small red velvet box. “Steve…”

“Open it,” Steve whispered.

Tony turned his head to look into Steve’s sparkling eyes, before a beaming smile took over his face. He focused back on the box, cradled it in his hand, and pushed the lid upwards with his thumb. Nestled in a little satin pillow, was a matching pair of shining metal rings. Wedding bands. 

“Marry me?” Steve asked. 

Tony turned and wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck before pulling him in for an exuberant kiss. “Yes,” He whispered against Steve’s lips. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, _yes_.” The room erupted in cheers and excited yells around them, but they only had eyes to each other. Tony pulled back and plucked the rings out of the box, surprised at how light they were. “Are they made of vibranium?” Tony asked in awe.

“Yeah. They’re part of my shield.” Steve took the smaller of the two rings out of Tony’s hand and slipped it smoothly onto Tony’s left ring finger. Tony did the same for Steve and when they looked back up at each other, Tony felt that same sensation of something sliding into place, that feeling of him being exactly where he should be. 

As he kissed his brand new fiancé, the metal of his ring already warming against his skin, and the sound of his family all around him, Tony finally got his perfect Christmas.


End file.
